A huge dirigible shaped object first attracted the attention of the military when it appeared on the radar screens of the Mangishlak Peninsula, flying from west to east at 960 km per hour and at an altitude of 6600 meters. Thinking that the object might have been launched from Kapustin Yar, Mangishlak personnel contacted the Cosmodrome. Kapustin denied any knowledge of the object, although they confirmed its appearance on radar. The object failed to respond to attempts at communication on any frequency, and since it was flying near a restricted area, two MIG-29 fighter jets that were already on patrol were directed to intercept it. In addition a third jet was scrambled from Air station 7. The MIG pilots were directed to intercept the object, to identify it if possible, to try to make contact with it, and to force it to land at the nearest Air station. If the object failed to cooperate, they were directed to shoot it down. The Migs intercepted the object over the western shore of the Aral Sea at 0512A. The pilots observed the object both visually and on their radar screens, and they described it as dirigible shaped, 600 meters long by 110 meters wide, with very little surface detail except for two round "portholes" near the front, and some sort of strange green markings near the rear. The object did not make any hostile moves or react in any way to the presence of the jets. When all attempts at contacting the object failed, the squadron leader proposed positioning the jets on either side of the object at a distance of about 800 meters and gently but firmly directing it to the Air Station. If necessary the jets were to fire warning shots to encourage the object to cooperate. When the jets were in position around the object, however, it soon became apparent that, within 800 meters of it, the weapons systems of the Migs shut down for no apparent reason. Worse yet, at a distance of 600 meters from the object, the engines of the Migs began to malfunction. The object began to make zigzag evasive maneuvers and to increase its speed from 960 kms per hour to 6800k kms per hour. These maneuvers were verified by radar at Baikonur, Alma-Alta and Bishkek. The jets backed off as it became apparent that their plan to force the object to land was not going to succeed, and the object proceeded east through Alma-Alta airspace at a slightly lower altitude of 4500 meters. Radar dispatchers at Alma-Alta fearing a collision with a conventional aircraft issued a general alert for air traffic to avoid the area. At 0527A the object disappeared from radar in the area of Lake Issyk-Kul near the border of Kazakhstan. A month later reports began to trickle back to Bishkek that a huge UFO had been seen to crash into the Tien Shan Mountains, 100 km east of Przhevalsk near a peak known as Pik Pobeda (Peak of Victory). The actual site lay in a gorge known as "Shaitan Mazar" or "Grave of the Devil", near the Saris Dzas River. A search party led by Michael Eltchin was immediately dispatched but were unable to reach the site due to heavy snowfall. In June 1992 a second expedition was mounted, consisting of three groups of volunteers having both a scientific background and mountain climbing experience. The expedition arrived on site on 6-12-1992 and set up a base camp 2.5 km NNW from the actual crash site. The path of the object was noted to be such that it had slid 1700 meters after hitting the ground. It then exploded from within its center, blasting it into almost two equal parts and bending its internal structure outwards from the center of the explosion. Decks and interior features were visible inside the object through the gap made by the blast. The expedition immediately noticed several unusual effects when they began to examine the object. They could not photograph the object because some sort of radiation exposed all film and ruined all videotape. Whenever a member of the party got closer than 800 meters to the object, he began to feel unusual anxiety, depression and exhaustion. Within this 800 meter range, the men's hair stood on end. Instruments showed an unusually high amount of static electricity in the air. Compasses and magnetometers refused to function properly in the area of the object. Measurement devices registered no magnetic fields at all within an elliptically shaped area centered on the object and measuring 2230 meters long and 1700 meters wide. Even naturally occurring magnetic rocks showed no magnetic field within this ellipse. All clocks and wristwatches stopped at a distance of 600 meters from the object. Anyone who approached the object began to suffer from some sort of radiation burns at a distance of 500 meters. The expedition soon had to abandon the site, but planned to return in the future.

Google map of this location.